The present disclosure is directed to latching and locking handles. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to handles having the ability to latch in an open position and/or to lock in a closed position. Such handles find use in a variety of different applications. For example, such latching and locking handles find particular use in the area of circuit boards.
The past twenty-five or so years have seen the development of ever smaller electrical circuit components. However, to take fullest advantage of achievements in electrical circuit miniaturization, one must package the resultant component in an efficient manner. Clearly, the packaging of circuit components in tight spaces is a direct logical extension of decreasing the size of the components.
Moreover, mainly for reasons associated with long-term system operation and reliability of such components, it is likewise very desirable to be able to easily insert and remove these components even when they are disposed in very tight spaces. Disposing these components in very tight spaces leads to several different design constraints on the system used to secure these components in the selected space. Further, disposing these components in very tight spaces leads to several different design constraints on the cooling of the system components in the selected space.
Accordingly, a continuing need exists for systems to secure closely packaged components in a desired space in a manner that allows the components to be easily inserted, secured in place, and removed when needed. There is also a continuing need for securing systems that mitigate the potentially detrimental cooling effects caused by closely packaging components.
A latching and locking handle comprising a handle body, a latching arm, and a pivot block is provided. The handle body has a release finger and a pivot leg. The latching arm is slideably secured to the handle body. The pivot block is connectable to a device having at least one movable component. The pivot block is also connected to a first portion of the pivot leg so as to allow the handle body to rotate in the pivot block about the first portion between a first position and a second position. The first position is a locked position and the second position is a latched position.
A pluggable cartridge comprising walls and a printed circuit card moveably housed within and protected by the walls is provided. A pivot block is secured to one of the walls. A handle is movably connected to the pivot block so as to be movable between a first position and a second position. A portion of the handle is also attached to the printed circuit card by an articulated mechanical linkage such that movement of the handle moves the printed circuit card. A latching arm is slideably secured to the handle. The first position defines a locked position having abortion of the handle lockably engaged with the pivot block, and the second position defines a latched position having a portion of the latching arm latchably engaged with the pivot block.
A method of securing and unsecuring a pluggable cartridge in a structure comprises moving a handle to a first position, the handle being connected to a first movable portion of the pluggable cartridge, the first movable portion of the pluggable cartridge being secured in a first desired position when in the first position; sliding the pluggable cartridge into the structure until the first movable portion is in a facial spaced relationship with a portion of the structure; depressing a release arm of the handle to unsecure the first movable portion from the first desired position; and moving the handle to a second position to move the first movable portion to a second desired position, the second desired position being defined by the first movable portion being seated in the portion of the structure, the second position being configured to secure the second movable portion of the pluggable cartridge in the second desired position.